Differential drive rotary fluid coupling



Jan. 2, 1951 J. NOVAK DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE ROTARY FLUID COUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1946 (707222 jVi/aiz INVENTOR.

Jan. 2, 1951 J. NOVAK DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE ROTARY FLUID COUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 4, 1946 '0 JZkm Z/bZ aZC INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 2, 1951 DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE ROTARY FLUID COUPLING John Nov-ak, Perth Amboy, N. J., assignor of onehalf to Frank Novak, Old Bridge, N. J.

Application February 4, 1946, Serial No. 645,285

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a fluid drive and more especially to a new and novel form of differential wherein motion is transmitted from a rotary drive element to separate driven elements by a fluid contained within the housing of the differential.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings Figure l is a transverse section through the housing of the mechanism, the rotatable parts therein being in plan.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2--2 Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through a modified structure.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference I and 2 designate housing members which can be detachably joined at their margins as indicated at 3, the meeting portions of these members cooperating to define an annular channel 4 the side walls of which are recessed as at 5 to receive antifriction bearing 6 which serve to support and properly center the gear 'I of a drive rotor 8. This rotor includes oppositely extending series of radial blades 9 having a working contact with the inner surface of the housing. The drive rotor can be mounted on the intermediate portion of a shaft I having concentric studs II projecting therefrom and these studs can project into sockets I2 formed within the enlarged ends I3 of oppositely extending shafts I4. The shafts are mounted in antifriction bearings I carried by the heads I6 of the housing members I and2 and each of these portions I3 has a disk I! rotatable therewith and supported close to the adjacent head I6. Radial blades I8 extend laterally from each of the disks I1 and radiate from the shaft portion I3, the inner edges of these blades terminating in a plane which is close to and parallel with the path of the adjacent blades 9. Thus each set of radial blades I8 together with their disk I! and their shaft I3 cooperate to form a driven rotor.

The shafts I4 can be positioned within housing extensions I9 and any suitable sealing means such as indicated at 20' can be provided for preventing leakage of fluid from the housing members I and 2 along the shafts I3--I4.

A drive shaft 20 can be mounted in a bearing 2| located within a bearing extension 22 on the housing formed by the members I and 2 and this shaft 28 carries a gear 23 in mesh with the gear I.

It is to be understood that the housing formed by the members I and 2 contains a suitable fluid which fills all of the spaces in the housing. Thus when the drive rotor is actuated by the gears 23 and I the opposed series of blades 9 will set up a swirling action of the fluid which, in turn, will pick up the blades I8 of the driven rotors and cause the same to rotate with the drive rotor thereby causing motion to be transmitted to the shafts I4. As there is no positive connection between the drive and driven rotors, it will be obvious that either of the driven rotors can be retarded relative to the other when resistance to the rotation of its shaft I4 is encountered. Thus the described mechanism constitutes an excellent differential for use in motor vehicles.

It is to be understood that there is no invention in the particular manner in which the rotors and their shafts are mounted. The various bearings, shafts, etc. have been illustrated and described merely as one arrangement which might be utilized.

Instead of having the rotors all mounted for movement about a common axis, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a modified structure such as illustrated in Figure 3 might be employed. In this modified form the drive rotor comprising a drive shaft 24, heads or disks 25 and radial blades 26 interposed between the heads or disks and carried by the shaft, can be positioned arallel with aligned driven shafts 2'! each of which has a disk or head 28 against which extend the outer ends of annular series of blades 29 radiating from the respective shafts 21. Each set of blades and its disk and shaft thus cooperate to form a driven rotor and the two driven rotors, as shown in Fi ure 3, are located in a suitably shaped housing 353, preferably integrally formed to provide communicating cylindrical chambers carrying respectively the drive rotor, and the driven rotors, and filled with a suitable fluid. Thus when the drive rotor is actuated by its shaft 24, the fluid in the housing will serve to transmit m i n from the drive rotor to the two driven rotors and as these latter rotors are not connected, the modifled mech n sm is also useful as a different al- It is to be understood of course that the kind of gears used in the structures shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be changed to meet the requirements.

What is claimed is:

1. A difierential including a housing comprising opposed housing sections each formed integrally with a cylindrical side wall and a closed outer end, the inner ends being open "and having their marginal portions outwardly flanged to constitute means for detachably joining the housing sections, said flanged portions being proportioned when joined to defin an annular peripheral groove within the housing and intermediate its ends, a pair of driven rotors each mounted for rotation in one of the housing sections, each of said driven rotors comprisinga shaft journaled in the adjacent closed end of the section and radial blades carried by the shaft next torsaid adjacent closed end, and a drive rotor mounted -at thecenteriof theihousing and extending across the housing to divide the housing into separate working chambers, the periphery of the drive motor being extended into the peripheral groove and being formed as a gear for powering the -.drive rotor from .an exterior source, said drive ,Iotor: including :radial blades extending from opposite faces thereof into close spaced relation with itherbladesof the'rrespective driven rotors.

stitute means for detachably joining the housing 4 sections, said flanged portions being proportioned when joined to define an annular peripheral groove within the housing and intermediate its ends, a pair of driven rotors each mounted for rotation in one of the housing sections, each of said driven rotors comprising a shaft journaled in the adjacent closed end of the section and radial blades carried by the shaft next to said adjacent closed end, there-being a socket formed in each shaft, a drive rotor mounted at the center of the housing and extending across the housing to divide the housing into separate work- ..ing chambers, the periphery of the drive rotor being extended into the peripheral groove and being formed ,as 'a gear for powering the drive rotor from an exterior source, and said drive rotor including a shaft projecting from opposite faces thereof and formed with studs on its ends extending into and rotatable within the sockets,

and radial blades extending from opposite faces of the driverotor into closespaced relation with the blades of the respective driven rotors.

JOHN NOVAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,613,154 Bauer et al. Jan. 4, 1927 2,141,940 Sinclair Dec. 27, 1938 2,287,498 Scofield June 23, 1942 2,336,167 Dil o Dec. 7, 1943 2,465,919 Novak Mar. 29,1949 

